Video streaming, data streaming, and broadband digital broadcast programming are increasing in popularity in wireless network applications, e.g., Internet protocol (IP) multicast services. To support these wireless applications, wireless broadcast systems transmit data content that support data services to many wireless terminals simultaneously. A wireless broadcast system typically comprises a plurality of base stations, in which data content is distributed by a service source through a backbone network. Wireless broadcast systems are typically unidirectional networks, in which there may not be an uplink channel (i.e. wireless terminal to serving base station) available. Thus, a wireless terminal may not be able to request lost data packets that are associated with a data service from the wireless broadcast system. When the wireless broadcast system has more than one base station serving different transmitting coverage areas (also known as cells), the base stations should transmit data services so that a wireless terminal is able to receive associated data packets in a seamless fashion as the wireless terminal moves from a coverage area of one base station to another coverage area of another base station. Seamlessness entails that the wireless terminal receive all data packets as the wireless terminal performs a handover from one base station to another. In order to complete a handover, a wireless terminal may need to measure neighboring cells to determine the new cell that will serve the wireless terminal after the handover. In addition, the wireless terminal must retune to match the transmission settings of the new cell. Moreover, in the prior art the wireless terminal typically must complete all of the necessary handover tasks before the base station serving the new cell transmits the next transmission burst. If the wireless terminal cannot expeditiously complete the tasks, the wireless terminal may miss the next transmission burst, causing a degradation of service.
What is needed is a system and method for providing an interrupt-free information and data flow to a wireless terminal receiving data and information from multiple wireless base stations.